Less than a week in and I can say that with confidence.
You see I was supposed to finish my BA in May, start Grad School in the fall, and continue growing my writing - both in my own time and at the Copy Writer job I had accepted back in August.
Instead, I walked into my 9-5 on the 2nd of January to find out that 20-25% of the company was being laid-off or terminated...and I was one of the ones destined for a lay-off. I guess that is how it was meant to be. In a department of five, I filled the quota. I was the newest person in the department after all.
Still, it did not seem right.
I had left a job (in retail) that I had worked at for over seven years. Left it to pursue a passion. I was convinced it was the right move. Equal pay, no rude customers, much better hours - but still, now in hindsight, I can't help but have doubts.
Not only that, but I find myself in one of those moments where you and God have those grown-up conversations.
If this were two years ago maybe I would have been able to question the circumstances easier than I can now. Instead, I know that in all things He has a plan. As my wife said, perhaps this is simply Him guiding me back to where He wanted me. I had been working toward one goal since going back to college, then - because things seemed to be falling into place - I changed course.
These are the times when things become too real. This is when you get to prove how true you are when you say that you believe God cares and provides for you. My wife has been more steadfast in that than I have been. Because of that, I have told myself I have to trust things are going to work out.
When there is nothing between you and the pavement you are bound to get scraped up. Jesus didn't say that He needed people who were comfortable to follow Him. Instead, He sought out the ones who struggled in life.
That is not me saying that we should accept defeat.
Instead, these are the moments, the opportunities, I believe He is more than willing to give us a glimpse of heaven. That is if we are willing to look for it.
Will 2018 be one to forget? Maybe. Will it lead to opportunities I'm not able to currently see? Possibly. No matter what, none of it really, truly matters.
He doesn't ask for perfection. He doesn't need riches. He needs trust, faith - without seeing. Times like these set the stage for us to figure out what life is about.
So while I may be disappointed, frustrated, and a million other terms that describe situations you didn't expect to be in - do I wallow on the ground in pain, or do I get up and walk it off?
Do I hide it from others for fear of judgment, or do I embrace the current situation I have been placed in and look for the meaning behind it?
Happy New Year #LvLUp Community...we are finally getting started.
